Rockford Marathon a Day of Healing

Rockford Marathon a Day of Healing

<p><span style='font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;'>Runners
took the streets for the Rockford Marathon<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">
</font></p>

Runners loosening and stretching.
They are anticipating the start of the Rockford Marathon. Police are on watch.

You can feel the
adrenaline flowing through the runners, and they line up at the starting line.

And they're off! More
then 1200 hundred runners take to the streets. And with the Boston Marathon
bombings still fresh in their minds, representatives say it's a day of running,
and healing.

Event organizer Josh
Rushton says "it's moving on and showing the world that runners in every race that
we keep going strong and that we will continue on what we do."

Josh Rushton competed in
the Boston Marathon. After the attacks, they beefed up security for the
Rockford Marathon.

Rushton says "we had a
little bit extra coming by, and extra police around the start and finish area
at the beginning, and they will come back around towards the finish"

Runners
I spoke with say they did not have any fear of running in the marathon, and
they were not going to let anything get in their way, from finishing this race.

Oregon resident Gary Henderson
says "you got to and do what you need to do you know, for yourself. Not let the
fears of what goes on around the country stop you."

Runner
Seth Kopf says "you know you don't think about it when you're running, but
certainly what happened in Boston
makes you a little more conscious about it."

Some
of the runners dedicated finishing the marathon in honor of Boston victims. Symbolizing victory not only
for the participants, but runners across the world.

Rushton
says "we can show everyone that it's not affecting us in the way that it's
going to affect us from doing what we love to do. So everyone is going to keep
coming out, and keep running and supporting all the runners and now those who
can't run anymore."